INTRODUCTION OF COMPUTER BASED EXAMINATION FOR FOUNDATION PROGRAMME (W.E.F JUNE 2014)

1. The Institute has decided to discontinue OMR Based Examination and instead introduce Computer Based Examination (CBE) for its Foundation Programme students from June 2014 onwards. However, examinees would continue to be assessed through Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).


2. Candidates would be required to sit before a computer terminal and use computer-mouse while attempting the questions.
Computer Based Examination would be held in all those cities in India and aboard, where the Institute’s
existing examinations are held. Details of examination centres/venues will be informed separately.

3. Questions would be displayed on the computer screen both in English as well as Hindi language except for Business Management, Ethics and Communication paper, for which questions shall be provided in English medium only.

4. The date of declaration of result of CBE would be published on the website  of the Institute.

5. To familiarise students with Computer Based Examinations, Mock Test, FAQs, Examination Time Schedule, procedure to enroll for examination and Instructions to Examinees, etc. would shortly be hosted on the Institute’s website.

http://icsi.edu/WebModules/Student/introductionofcomputerbased.htm

Leave taken by CA Students during exams not to be included in the calculation of maximum Leave

The brief Summary of Leave for article clerk of CA students (Regulation 59) is given below for reference. CA students should be aware that during the period of CA examination (including the intervening holidays) are entitled to be present and should not be marked Leave. 

Regulation 59. Leave to an articled clerk of ICAI

1.     An articled assistant shall earn at the rate of one-sixth of the period for which he has actually served, excluding from such period, the period for which he has been on leave subject to a maximum of 180 days.

2.     An articled assistant who has served as an audit assistant before the commencement of his articles shall, in addition to the leave earned under this regulation, be entitled to leave equal to one-half of the leave earned and not availed of as an audit assistant, subject to a maximum of three months.

3.     Leave due shall ordinarily be granted if reasonable notice has been given to the principal by the articled assistant.

4.     For the purposes of preparing for an examination of the Institute, the articled assistant shall be granted by the Principal leave for three months or to the extent due, whichever is less, provided an application for the leave has been made at least fifteen day in advance.

5.     Leave not earned may also be granted by the principal subject to the condition that the total leave to be taken by the articled assistant shall not exceed one-seventh of the total period of this actual service, together with the leave due under sub-regulation (2).

6.     Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing sub-regulations, the principal shall allow the articled assistant to receive training in the Teritorial Army, the Home Guards or any similar organisation approved by the Council and shall treat the period of such training not exceeding sixty days in a year, as period actually served under articles.

7.     For the purpose of this regulation, the days (including intervening holidays) on which an articled assistant appears for any examination under these Regulations or Attends a course of academy of accounting conducted by the Institute and recognised by the Council in this behalf, shall not be treated as have leave but would be treated as period actually served under articles. Explanation – (1) For the removal of doubts, it is clarified that attendance by an articled assistant with the consent of the principal, at a conference, including Course on Information Technology Training, and Course on General Management and Communication Skills or seminar organised by the Institute including a regional council or a students association or a branch or a regional council for the benefits of assistants, shall be treated as period acutally served under articles.(2) An articled assistant who has secured admission in a course at an academy of accounting conducted by the Institute shall be relieved by the Principal, without termination of articles, for attending the academy.

 As per my view this article might be useful because most of us are unaware of the fact that during the examination we are actually serving for articleship training and it should not be marked leave.

Getting a PAN made stricter

VRISHTI BENIWAL New Delhi, 24 January It will not be easy to get a Permanent Account Number (PAN) now, as the Income Tax (I- T) department on Friday put more conditions for applicants in a bid to crack down on fraudsters. “The procedure for PAN allotment will undergo a change from February 3. Every applicant will have to submit self- attested copies of proof of identity, address and date of birth documents and also produce original documents for verification,” the Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) said on Friday. It said the original documents would be returned after verifying the self- attested copies attached with the application form received at the PAN facilitation centre. An official said the decision was taken after the department noticed a lot of cases where people were giving false information in the application to get a duplicate PAN in some cases and to get the card even when they were not eligible for it in other cases. About 1.4 million new PAN cards are issued every year by the department, which is able to verify details of only 0.2 per cent applicants. Experts said the department’s intention behind the move was to check mala fide cases but it would cause problems for genuine applicants. “The department is asking for self attested as well as original documents ( for verification only), to be 100 per cent sure about their veracity. But this will make it more difficult to obtain PAN, particularly for foreigners. People might not be comfortable sharing original documents with consultants. There are practical challenges which might unfold in the coming days and we hope for more clarity,” said Amarpal Chadha, tax partner, EY. The official agreed it might cause discomfort to some people but the intention was to make the system foolproof. CBDT had found some foreign nationals were using PAN as proof of identity. In most of these cases, a fake certificate of identity and address signed by a Member of Parliament was issued. By I- T Rules, a depository account statement, bank account statement/ passbook, ration card, passport, voter identity card, driving licence, property tax assessment order and a certificate signed by a Member of Parliament or a Member of Legislative Assembly or municipal councillor or a gazetted officer are accepted as proof of identity as well as address. Currently, about 140 million people have a PAN card in India, while only 34 million of them file their income tax returns. Many people who don’t file returns, get a PAN as it works as an identity proof at many places. Of the total PAN allotment, 96 per cent are under the category of ‘ Individual’ applicants and the highest fake/ duplicates are also observed under this category. In March 2011, after finding ahuge mismatch between the number of PAN holders and the number of tax return filings, the Comptroller & Auditor General had asked the I- T department to ensure that asingle taxpayer was not issued multiple cards. I- T dept wants original ID proof; experts warn of practical challenges

TIME TABLE FOR CS JUNE 2014 EXAMINATION